


Learn Me

by basil_leaf



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Caring John Winchester, Growing Up, Growing Up Together, Kid Fic, M/M, Past Character Death, Selectively Mute Dean Winchester, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-08-11 22:12:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7909513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/basil_leaf/pseuds/basil_leaf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean stopped speaking after his mother died when he was four years old. He's never had a friend besides his younger brother, Sam.  During his first week at a new school, Dean meets Castiel and, without sharing a conversation, the pair forms a bond that grows with them through the years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Day

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first multi-chapter fic! It's going to clock in at 5 chapters and an epilogue and I'm excited to share the ride with you. Obviously, none of the characters are mine, I just like to play with them.
> 
> Thanks to my favorite jerk for giving this a read through!

Castiel had learned at a young age to keep his soul words covered. It wasn’t a social taboo to leave them in view but by 6 years old, he was already tired of the jokes adults and some older kids would make about his words. 

“Don’t jump into anything too fast, now!”  
“I guess love at first sight really is a thing!” 

Cas had found that comments like this were unavoidable when the words “I love you” were tattooed on your wrist. The words could be almost anywhere on a person’s body but short soul words tended to appear on the wrist or arm while longer phrases and sentences would often be on a person’s back or chest.

Despite the jokes, Cas thought his soul words were beautiful and would sometimes tell his stuffed animals stories he made up about how he thought he would hear the words from his soulmate. His favorite was a stuffed squirrel; he was the best listener, Cas decided. Castiel was part way through one of these stories when his oldest brother, Michael, came to put him to bed. 

As far as Castiel was concerned, Michael was the biggest big brother ever. He was nineteen years old, practically ancient, and he had graduated high school the year before and was driving to college every day. Michael got Castiel settled in his bed and read him a story. He turned off the lights as he left the room and Castiel shut his eyes and pretended to sleep.

A few minutes later, one of Castiel’s other brothers quietly entered their room. Gabriel was Castiel’s favoritest big brother. Gabriel was 12 and they shared a room and he gave Cas candy and would read him the big kid books that their dad wrote. He never made fun of or joked about Castiel’s soul words. Cas and Gabe were starting the fourth book in their dad’s series that night and he was excited to find out what happened to his favorite character. He had gone to hell at the end of the third book!

Gabriel read to Cas until his little brother’s eyes started drooping. “I think it’s bed time for me, Cassie. We go back to school tomorrow.” Castiel felt Gabriel squirm out from where Cas had cuddled up to him. “Love ya, little brother.”

Gabriel passed Cas his squirrel and he was asleep before Gabe made it to his own bed across the room. 

The boys woke up the next morning to the smell of breakfast cooking. They both rushed to get ready for the day and skidded into the kitchen where their father was at the stove cooking bacon. The table was already laid out with eggs, toast, and pancakes and their older brothers had already taken their seats. Michael and Luc sat at the right and left hand sides of the chair their father would soon occupy. Gabriel slipped into his usual spot next to Luc and Cas climbed up next to Michael.

Their dad carried a plate of bacon to the table and sat. “Well, boys, dig in,” he instructed. He started by filling his favorite mug with coffee as his boys started loading up their plates. Michael helped Cas by holding the plates and bowls as Castiel served himself.

“So, here’s the plan,” their father started around a mouthful of bacon. He swallowed before he continued speaking. “Since the middle school and high school are across the parking lot from one another, Luc will take Gabe to school. I’ll take Castiel to the elementary school and do the first day parent thing. I should be back in plenty of time for Michael to take my car and get to class. Does that sound good?”

The boys all nodded.

“I know it’s your first day at the middle school, Gabe. I can try to get you and Cas both to school, if you want,” he double checked, looking at his second youngest.

“Nah, I’ll be fine, dad. I’m sure Luci will take goooooood care of me,” Gabriel responded.

Luc rolled his eyes at the nickname and the singsong voice Gabe was using but didn’t say anything.

“Luc, I’ll need you to pick up Cas after school since Michael will still have the second car. You might have to wait a few minutes, the elementary school finishes about a half hour after the middle and high schools.” 

The family made light conversation as they finished breakfast and carried all of the dishes to the sink. Michael started loading the dishwasher as the rest of the brothers went to the hall and got their backpacks and anything else they needed for school.

\----

Dean quietly picked up his backpack and looked up at his dad.

“You ready son? Going to be alright?” John asked his oldest son.

“Yes, sir,” Dean responded. He hoped it was true; he wanted it to be true. As he took a deep breath, his younger brother ran up and hugged him from behind.

“I love you, Dean,” his little voice declared.

“Love you too, Sammy,” Dean replied, ruffling his brother’s shaggy hair.

Sam ran back into the kitchen where the new babysitter was getting his breakfast ready and Dean and John went out the door. Dean was starting his first day in a new school. He didn’t want to go to a new school; he had liked his old school. But his dad had gotten a new job in a different state and moved their family away from his school and away from Uncle Bobby. Dean hated it but he understood. 

“I’ll be there with you to start the day but then I’ve got to go into the shop,” John reminded his son. “Becky will pick you up after school. And don’t be nervous, boy. We met with your teacher, she understands what’s going on and knows what to expect.” He looked at his son who was nervously picking at the car’s seat. 

They rode the rest of the short distance to the school in silence. They pulled into the parking lot; John turned the key and the hum of the engine went quiet. Dean stared quietly at the door handle. John gave him a moment but eventually put a hand on his son’s shoulder causing Dean to turn and look at him. John just nodded to him and Dean nodded back before opening the car door.


	2. New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During recess, Cas and Dean meet for the first time and become fast friends.

The first few days of school went off without a hitch for Cas. After the parents left the classroom on the first day, the first graders settled into a regular schedule learning math, reading, spelling, social studies, and science, as well as getting to spend some time on the playground each day.

Castiel’s teacher was impressed with his intelligence and let him read at his desk whenever he finished his seat work early. He liked reading at his desk but his favorite part of the day was recess. Cas loved looking at the plants and watching the bees and other bugs buzz and scuttle around in the grass. He had some friends in his class and would gladly play with them during indoor playtimes but he would often spend recess alone when the weather allowed them to be outside.

About a week after the start of school, Cas was watching a ladybug crawl along the ground when he heard some of his classmates teasing someone. He looked up to see Al, Lilith, and Ruby surrounding the new boy, Dean.

“Why don’t you talk?” Lilith asked him.

“Yeah, are you stupid or something?” Ruby added

The three started crowding Dean backwards until he was pinned up against the jungle gym. 

“Come on, dummy. Say something!” Al practically screamed in Dean’s face, shoving him back hard so his head hit the metal behind him.

Castiel was on his feet before he had really made a decision about what to do. 

The three bullies continued to crowd into Dean’s space and spew taunts.

When Cas got close enough to be heard he shouted. “Alastair. Take your friends and leave the new kid alone!”

Castiel’s words startled the trio and caused them to back away from Dean just enough for Cas to slip in and stand next to the boy.

“We’re just having fun with him, Castiel.” Lilith lied.

Cas grabbed Dean’s hand, which was balled into a fist like he was ready for a fight. “I said leave him alone.” Castiel’s eyes were stormy. He interlaced his fingers with the other boy's and led Dean away from the jerks at the jungle gym.

Once they were away from Lilith and her gang, Cas turned and looked at Dean. He wanted to say something cool to make Dean forget about the bullies. “I’m the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition.” 

Dean didn’t reply, but his eyes went wide at Castiel’s words and he pulled his hand out of the other boy’s.

“Sorry, I’m Cas,” he apologized. “I don’t know what all those words mean but I know some of ‘em and the hero in the book my big brother reads me said them and they sounded ‘portant.” Castiel paused so the other kid could answer. When he didn’t Cas asked, “You’re Dean, right?”

The other boy nodded.

“You ok?”

Dean nodded again.

“Wanna look at bugs with me? You don’t haveta talk if you don’t wanna.”

This time when he nodded, Dean smiled at Cas.

The pair spent the rest of recess looking under rocks for bugs. Castiel showed Dean his best bug hunting spots and told him about his favorite kinds of bugs to find. Dean happily ran beside Cas, flipping over rocks and listening to the other boy talk about bees and other insects.

\----

Another week of school passed and Cas continued to spend his recess time with Dean. Sometimes they’d play tag or push each other on the swing but usually they looked for bugs together. Dean still didn’t talk to Castiel but that was ok. Dean was a good listener and when they came back from recess one afternoon to find that the teacher had rearranged their seats into groups and that Cas was sitting next to Dean now, Cas shared that with his new friend.

“You’re a good lis’ner, Dean,” Cas told him. “You remind me of my squirrel. He listens good, too.”

Dean had never been complimented by one of his peers before and he beamed under Castiel’s praise. 

“Do you wanna come to my house after school one day?” Cas asked the other boy.

Dean looked nervous but he still nodded his head yes.

“Cool!” Castiel exclaimed. “I’ll ask my dad today and maybe you can come over tomorrow!”

Dean had never had any friends except for Sammy and that didn’t count because he was still a baby. He liked Cas and Cas liked him and he really hoped both of their dads would say yes.

Cas stopped talking to Dean when Mrs. Harvelle passed out their math worksheet. They were learning about adding and subtracting and it was hard work. 

Mrs. Harvelle walked around the classroom to help the students with their worksheets. When she got to Dean and Castiel’s group, she noticed that Cas had already finished but he wasn’t reading like he normally would. Instead, he was quietly helping Dean with his paper.

Math was the last subject of the day. As everybody packed up their backpacks to go home, the teacher handed Dean a note and asked him to give it to his dad. Dean nodded at the teacher.

“It looks like you and Castiel have become friends,” Mrs. Harvelle commented.

Dean smiled and nodded again, much more enthusiastically.

“I’m so glad to see you two getting along,” she told Dean. “Now, you get on out of here and don’t forget to give your daddy that note from me.”

Dean dashed out of the classroom and went to the student pickup spot where Becky was waiting, holding Sam on her hip.

Dean giggled at his brother. Sammy was only 3 but he was already almost half as big as Becky. He still liked for her to carry him around, though.

“Did you have a good day at school?” Becky asked him.

Dean nodded at her, taking her outstretched hand as they started the short walk home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to my favorite Jerk for giving this a read through. I hope you're enjoying this little world I'm building! Leave a comment or kudos to let me know <3


	3. Dean's Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas and Dean want to see each other outside of school so John and Chuck work on setting up a playdate.
> 
> Warning for description of pre-story character death. It's not graphic but goes into a little bit of detail about how Mary died.

“DAD!!!” Cas practically shouted as soon as he was in the house. “DAD!!”

“Cas, you know dad is working right now, what’s up? Can I help?” Luc asked his youngest brother.

“No, Luc, I need dad! It’s super important!” Castiel practically whined.

Chuck had heard his youngest son’s shouts and was already making his way toward his boys. He smiled indulgently at his six year old and asked “What’s up, bud?”

“Dad! I made a new friend! His name is Dean and he likes to look at bugs with me during recess and we sit next to each other now and I helped him with his math today. Can he come over after school tomorrow?” Cas asked, barely stopping for breath.

“Of course he can come over, Castiel, but I don’t know if it will be tomorrow. I’ll need to talk to his mom or dad first,” Chuck responded.

“Oh, yeah,” Castiel’s enthusiasm waned a bit but he brightened again as he added “I’ll ask him for his phone number tomorrow. He can write it down so you can call his house!”

“That’s the spirit, kiddo.” Chuck said as he ruffled his youngest’s hair. “How about I finish up the chapter I’m working on and then we all meet Michael downtown for dinner?”

“That sounds good, Dad,” Luc answered for all of them while Castiel nodded and Gabriel shrugged. “We’ll get started on some homework while you finish up.”

Chuck headed back to his office as his phone rang.

\----

There hadn’t been many drop-in appointments at the garage and John was ahead of schedule on the classic restoration he was working on so the owner told him to head home and spend some time with his boys since they were all still settling into their new home.

He was surprised that Dean was already waiting for him when he came in the door.

“Dad, I made a friend at school and he wants me to come over to his house!”

John was shocked. Dean was a sweet kid but he hadn’t made any friends in preschool or kindergarten. He was glad Dean had a friend but he wasn’t so sure a visit was a great idea. What if this kid was just leading Dean on?

“Oh,” Dean’s voice was suddenly bashful, “and my teacher Mrs. Harvelle wanted me to give you this. I swear I didn’t do anything bad.”

John took the folded paper from his son and looked it over. Mrs. Harvelle had sent home the contact information for Dean’s friend, Castiel, and his parents. She explained that she’d noticed that Dean and Castiel had been spending time together at recess and that Dean seemed happier and more engaged despite the fact that he wasn’t speaking, even to his new friend. John noted that she was certain that this Castiel was a good kid.

“You definitely didn’t do anything bad, son. On the other hand, I think I’ll give your friend Castiel’s dad a call and see what we can do about that play date.” John’s voice was gruff, trying to hide the emotion that was threatening to spill over.

Dean jumped up and pumped his fist in the air with a loud whoop as John went to find Becky before he made the call. He asked the babysitter to stick around a few minutes longer so that he could have some privacy while he was on the phone. John went into his bedroom and shut the door before dialing the phone number on the paper the teacher sent home.

The person on the other end picked up after the third ring.

“This is Chuck,” the voice declared.

“Hello, Mr. Shurley? My name is John, John Winchester. Our boys are in the same class at school and their teacher, Mrs. Harvelle, sent your contact information home with my son.” John began.

“John, Chuck Shurley. I hope everything is alright between our boys?” Chuck asked.

“Yes. Everything is fine,” John assured the other father. “I know this is a little unorthodox, the teacher giving your phone number, but our boys have become friends. Your son Castiel invited him to come over and my Dean is, well, he’s special and Mrs. Harvelle knew I’d want to talk to you about that.” 

“Oh, your Dean’s father! Cas came home talking about him today. He’s been sharing stories about hunting bugs with the new boy but we finally got a name out of him this afternoon. We’d love to have Dean over after school one day soon.”

“That’s why I’m calling. Dean mentioned that to me and I’m not opposed to the idea but there’s some things you need to know.” John took a breath before he continued. He didn’t like sharing this story but he would do anything for his boys, especially after… He took another deep breath and told Chuck their story.

“When Dean was 4 a fire started in our home. Dean’s mom, ran into the nursery to get Sammy, our youngest, while I went to get Dean out of the house. When I went past the nursery with Dean, I saw that Mary couldn’t get out of the room. Faulty wiring had sparked the fire right there in the room with our baby. I ran in and she passed me Sam. I handed him off to Dean and told him to get out of the house with his brother, to run across the street and call 911.” John paused again, remembering that night was always hard.

Chuck just listened on the other end. He didn’t push John to keep talking or try to stop him, either. John liked that.

“I couldn’t get Mary out of the room but there was a window behind her. I told her to open it up and take the screen out, that I’d go around the house and figure out how to get her out of that room and safely on the ground. It was slow going to get out of the house and by the time I made it downstairs and outside, the fire department was arriving. I made my way around to the back of the house and stood under the nursery window. It was open but the screen was still in place and I couldn’t see my wife.

“Mary never made it out of the house. Dean saw his mom behind a wall of fire that night. Thankfully Sam was too young to remember anything but Dean, he was pretty messed up by it all. He stopped talking. Wouldn’t even talk to me for the first six months, though I can’t blame him. I wasn’t the best father during that time. I finally heard Dean talking to his brother, telling Sammy stories about his mom, after about half a year. Slowly, he started talking around me and his uncle, too, but he hasn’t talked to anyone else in the two years since his mom died. The doctors call it selective mutism. He’s a smart kid, he just can’t talk in a lot of situations. He hasn’t had a friend outside of his brother since the fire.”

Chuck took this moment to respond to John’s story. “I’m very sorry for your loss and I understand more than you know. I’ve got 4 boys, Castiel is my youngst. He’s the only one without any memory of his mom.” He paused for a moment and then pressed on, “If you don’t mind, I’ll give my older boys a bit of a heads up to Dean’s situation. None of them would mention anything to Dean but I’d rather them not question Castiel about his friend behind Dean’s back.”

John agreed that would be alright and the two fathers set it up that Dean would go home with Cas after school the next day. John hung up the phone and went back to where Becky and his boys were sitting watching the end of a movie to share the news with Dean.

\----

The Shurley men went to one of Castiel’s favorite restaurants for dinner that night. After they placed their order, Chuck started a conversation with his youngest son. “I ended up being able to talk to Dean’s dad, today, Castiel. He’s going to come over after school tomorrow.”

The excitement that came over his Castiel’s face made Chuck grin right back at his son before he continued, “But there’s something I need to talk to you about first. All of you.”

Gabe, Luc, and Michael looked toward their father.

“What’s up, Dad?” Michael asked.

“Castiel is going to have a friend over after school tomorrow. Luc, I’ll need you and Gabe to pick up Dean as well as Cas.” Chuck told the boys.

“Sure thing, Pops,” Luc responded, turning back toward Michael and the conversation they had started.

“That’s not quite all. Castiel already knows this but you three should hear it too. Dean doesn’t talk,” Chuck told his sons seriously.

“He can’t talk? That’s gotta suck,” Gabriel chimed in.

“No, Gabe, he can talk. He just doesn’t.” Chuck had to choose his next words carefully, he didn’t fully understand selective mutism but he knew he didn’t need any of his sons to think Dean was broken. He would need to do some research if the boys’ friendship continued to grow. “Dean had some sad things happen when he was very young and the way his brain processed it, he doesn’t talk to anyone besides his family.” 

“There were some bullies at school making fun of Dean on the playground because he doesn’t talk.” Castiel told his brothers. “I told them to leave him alone and after that we watched the bees together. Dean is fun and he’s a good listener and he’s my friend.”

“Well, then, I look forward to meeting him,” Michael smiled at Castiel.

The table fell into comfortable conversation after that, Castiel barely containing his excitement about the upcoming visit as he told his family about the new kid at school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last full chapter with 6 year old Cas and Dean. We all have to grow up eventually and the next chapter is going to transition the boys into their teenage years. As always, thanks to my favorite Jerk for pre-reading, and let me know if you're enjoying with a comment or a kudo! <3


	4. Growing Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas have their play date and their friendship continues to grow as the boys transition from children to teenagers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI: There's a time jump of about 10 years here but I feel like it's a fairly smooth transition. However, if I'm wrong and you're confused by them suddenly being teenagers, that's why.

Dean and Cas entered the Shurley house hand in hand. Cas could tell Dean was nervous so he squeezed his friend’s hand before they dropped off their backpacks in the kitchen. Castiel pulled a chair over to the counter and climbed up so he could take out a bag of cookies. “You like these?” He asked Dean from his perch on the chair.

Dean nodded and Cas took out four cookies, two for each of them, before he put the bag back on the bottom shelf of the cabinet and hopped down from the chair. He carried the snack over to Dean and handed him his share. They each ate one and then Cas took Dean’s hand again, leading him out of the kitchen as they munched on their second cookies.

Cas led dean up the stairs and down a hallway before he stopped at a closed door and knocked.

“Yeah?” A voice came from inside.

Castiel opened the door and pulled Dean inside with him. 

“Dad, this is my friend Dean,” he announced.

The man at the desk stood up and came around the desk before he crouched down to be at the boys’ eye level. “Hi Dean, it’s nice to meet you.”

Dean smiled at Castiel’s dad.

“I’ve got a little bit of work to finish up here but then I was thinking we’d have pizza for dinner. Does that sound good to you guys?”

“Yes!” Cas exclaimed and Dean nodded emphatically.

“Good. You two go and have fun, now. But don’t forget your homework.”

Dean decided that he liked Castiel’s dad. Most new grownups asked too many questions and got frustrated when Dean couldn’t answer them. 

Cas led Dean by the hand as he dashed back into the hallway and down the stairs where they ended up back in the kitchen. Cas picked up his backpack and dug out his homework folder and Dean followed suit. 

“Pizza night is the best!” Castiel told him excitedly. “We get dough and we spread it out, sometimes Dad even lets us throw it in the air like they do on tv! And then we can put anything we want on it! My brother Gabriel is weird and he puts honey on his pizza sometimes instead of sauce.”

Dean made a face that got Cas laughing.

“I know! It’s so gross!” he giggled. “I like regular sauce and cheese and veggies. Like mushrooms and peppers and stuff.”

Dean’s disgust lessened, but his nose was still crinkled, so Castiel added “Don’t worry, we’ve got meat too. Definitely pepperoni and maybe even ham.”

Dean smiled at that. No matter what, he was sure that dinner with Cas was going to be good.

The pair worked on their homework for a while and then Cas led Dean into the family room and taught him how to use the remote control for their tv and then the one for the cable. When Chuck poked his head into the room to check on the boys, he realized that Castiel seemed to instinctively know how to communicate with Dean. Sometimes he would just talk and tell stories, other times, he would hold Dean’s hand and give it a squeeze, like he had in the office earlier that afternoon. Right now, Cas had told Dean to put on whatever show he wanted. Chuck smiled as he realized his son was intuitively learning about his new friend, his likes and dislikes, without having to ask any questions.

\----

The playdates became a regular occurrence. At least once a week, Dean would go home with Cas or Castiel would walk to the Winchester’s home after school with Dean, Becky, and Sam. Cas was shocked to learn that Dean didn’t have any stuffed animals at home. Instead, he had toy soldiers, Hotwheels cars, and a lot of Lego. The next time they were at Castiel’s house, he showed Dean his stuffed animals. 

“I tell them my stories. They all listen good. But it’s more fun to tell stories to you,” Cas told him.

Dean grabbed a stuffed giraffe and put it on his lap as he sat down among the animals, clearly waiting to hear one of Castiel’s stories.

“I usually tell them about my soulmate. I like to make up stories about how I’m gonna meet ‘em. That ok with you?” Cas asked, feeling a little self conscious. 

Dean smiled sweetly, nodded at the other boy’s question, and hugged the giraffe closer to his body.

Cas kept his eyes on Dean as he started his story; he had never told a real person anything like this before. Much to Castiel’s delight, when he finished Dean didn’t make a face or make fun of him in any way. He just got up and, still holding onto the giraffe, hugged Cas.

“You should keep him,” Castiel said, indicating the stuffed giraffe. “You have lotsa cool toys but the giraffe is the best at keeping secrets and he’s the squirrel’s bestest friend just like you’re my best friend.

\----

As they grew, the two boys got closer and closer, even organically developing their own language of looks and gentle touches. Sometimes Cas would tell Dean stories and Dean would draw pictures for Castiel. Other times, they would sit and watch tv or listen to music, their knees occasionally bumping together. No matter what they did together, the older they got, the more inseparable they became.

\----

One afternoon, just before Sam’s thirteenth birthday, Dean and Cas were sitting at the table, in the Shurley kitchen seemingly just staring at each other. They had finished their homework and were looking for something to do.

Gabriel, who had finished his semester two days prior and had gotten home the day before, wandered into the kitchen. “You do know it’s super creepy when you two do that, right?”

Dean rolled his eyes at his best friend’s older brother. Cas just continued looking at Dean and finally nodded.

“Gabriel, we need to go to the mall, will you take us?” He asked his older brother.

“What’s in it for me, kiddo?” Gabe shot back.

“I’ll get you a cinnamon sugar pretzel while we’re there,” Cas offered.

“Make it a Cinnabon and we’ve got a deal.” Gabriel countered.

Dean gave Gabe a thumbs up and the boys walked out to the beat up minivan that was Gabriel’s to drive while he was home from college.

“What’s with the impromptu trip to the mall, bro?” Gabe asked Castiel as they drove.

“It’s Sam’s birthday on Monday. I’d like to get him something and it would seem that Dean hasn’t purchased his brother a gift yet, either.” Cas responded.

“Cutting it a little close there, Dean-o!” Gabe said while looking in the rearview mirror at his brother’s friend.

Dean shrugged, the look on his face communicating that he’d figure something out.

The trio arrived at the mall about ten minutes later. They entered and Gabriel made a beeline for the food court. “I believe you owe me a pretzel and a cinnamon bun, fellas.”

“What?” Cas sputtered. “We agreed that you’d take us for a Cinnabon. No pretzel included.” 

“The way I remember it is you offered a pretzel and Dean offered the bun,” Gabriel responded with a twinkle in his eye.

“You’re going to end up with diabetes, Gabriel,” Castiel muttered as he headed for the pretzel. Dean followed Cas, and when he had the other boy’s attention, he looked at his watch and tilted his head toward the doors.

“Good call. We can give him the pretzel now to mollify him, though.”

Dean held Castiel’s hand and squeezed it once, their signal for yes.

They continued to hold hands until Cas needed both hands to pay for the pretzel. They carried it over to where Gabriel was waiting.

“You get the pretzel now and the cinnamon bun before we go home. That way we know you won’t just get bored and leave us here,” Cas told his brother.

“I’m wounded you two would think that of me!” Gabriel mocked.

Dean rolled his eyes at the man before turning to Cas silently asking if he was ready to go.

Cas nodded to Dean and they headed into the main portion of the mall. Dean had put off shopping for Sammy this long because he hated places like this but with Castiel at his side, he felt invincible. 

They started at Hot Topic and Dean was delighted to find that Cas thought the store was called The Hot Topical. Luc had liked the store when he was younger, Castiel had told Dean, so they gave it a shot since Luc and Sam seemed to have some things in common but there wasn’t anything there that Dean thought his brother would particularly like.

They looked in a few other stores to no avail before heading into a general goods store to get themselves a quick snack. Cas went to grab a soda to share while he assumed Dean would grab a bag of candy. Instead, Dean came up to Cas with a can of shaving cream in one hand and grabbed Castiel’s hand and pulled him into the magazine aisle.

When Castiel saw what Dean was looking at he couldn’t keep from laughing.

“You can’t give Sam porn and shaving cream! He’s going to be thirteen!” Cas exclaimed. “Even Gabe wouldn’t buy porn for you to give to a thirteen year old, and you know how questionable his morals can be. And Sam doesn’t need to shave, yet. You barely need to shave and you’re three years older.”

Dean chucked at his joke and even more so at the fact that Cas had thought he was serious That was one of the things Dean loved about his friend, that he took so many things literally. He took the shaving cream back to where he had found it and returned to where Castiel was waiting for him.

“How about we try two more stores and then we get Gabe his Cinnabon and head home. There’s always Amazon Prime.” Cas offered.

Dean liked that idea. He was starting to feel overwhelmed by the mall and was glad that Cas could read that.

The pair walked into a new store in the mall that specialized in toys and games. The walls were lined with board games and card games in boxes of every shape and size. While Cas was looking at some of the more niche board games, Dean went exploring. Down one of the rows of toys, he found something he thought would be perfect for Sam. Dean picked up the model of the miniature, working catapult that was displayed and began turning it to see how it worked and to decide if it would be too difficult - or worse, too easy - for his younger brother to put together.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind Dean, “What are you doing?” Dean jumped and turned around. “Put that down.” An older woman, probably in her 60s, was glaring at Dean. He put the catapult model back on its perch and held his hands up to his chest to show her he meant no harm.

“Examining that to see if you could fit it in your bag, were you?” the woman asked. It was clear to Dean that she expected an answer so he shook his head no, hoping to pacify her and get himself out of the situation. 

“Well, then, explain to me what you were doing,” she demanded. When Dean didn’t answer, she continued, “What, are you stupid or something, boy? Answer me!” she shrieked.

Castiel had heard the commotion and came to investigate. “Ma’am, he was just…”

The woman interrupted him. “You weren’t here, young man. Keep your nose clean and keep yourself out of this.” She turned to Dean again, “Are you going to answer me or am I going to have to call security?”

By this point, tears were threatening to spill down Dean’s face. He pushed past the employee and ran from the store.

Castiel was stunned, not by Dean’s actions but by the woman standing in front of him. “Do you just accuse every young person who enters this store of doing something wrong?” He questioned, incised by the woman’s words. “Do you even understand what you’ve done? That is an amazing boy, a smart, caring man who was looking for a birthday present for his crazy intelligent younger brother,” Cas continued, “and you not only snuck up behind him but then chased him out of your store.”

“He was being shifty and wouldn’t answer any of my questions.” She countered weakly.

“HE DOESN’T TALK!” Cas roared. “Not that it should matter. You should treat all human beings with decency and respect. I hope you’ve learned something today, because I certainly have,” Cas spat. He turned on his heel and swiftly exited the store leaving the woman sputtering in his wake.

Castiel thought quickly, trying to figure out where Dean would have gone. He should have followed immediately but he had felt a burning need to stay behind and stand up for his friend. There was only one place he could think that Dean would have gone, so he headed for the nearest escalator and went down a floor to get to the record store.

Not many malls had a store like this. They specialized in used CDs, tapes, and records, and Cas knew it was Dean’s favorite. This particular store also had some of the technology that most new music stores had and Castiel found Dean exactly where he expected, in the classic rock section with a pair of headphones on, “previewing” an album. Led Zeppelin, by the looks of it.

Dean’s back was to Cas and he didn’t want to startle his friend for a second time that afternoon. Castiel gently took Dean’s hand and gave it one long squeeze, something he had taken to doing when he thought his friend needed extra support in a given situation. Dean squeezed back, silently thanking Cas for being there. 

Cas and Dean stood hand in hand for a few more minutes while Dean continued listening to the music piping through the headphones.

When Dean took them off, Cas waited a moment and then spoke, “I’m sorry.”

Dean looked at Cas, the question written clearly on his face.

“I’m sorry she was so rude. I’m sorry you had to deal with her. I’m sorry you have to deal with people like her. I’m sorry I wasn’t there from the start. I’m sorry it took me a while to find you.”

Dean squeezed Castiel’s hand three times in quick succession, their signal that he was listening but didn’t quite know how to respond.

“You shouldn’t have to hear things like that, Dean. You are wonderful - you are one of my favorite people on this planet - and everything she assumed about you is entirely untrue,” Cas told his best friend. “I told her off,” he said with a wry chuckle, “I yelled at her, right there in the middle of the store. Hell, I hope her manager sees it all on the security camera and she gets fired.”

This time it was Dean’s turn to give Castiel’s hand a long squeeze.

“Let’s get Gabriel and go home, ok?”

Dean nodded and squeezed once quickly.

Cas texted Gabe and they met again outside of the food court. Cas had let Gabriel know that things had gone poorly with an employee, so Gabe didn’t look for or ask about the cinnamon roll, he just gave Dean a hug when the boys returned and led them out to the car. 

They rode back to the Shurley house in near silence, the only sounds coming from the radio that was playing quietly.

When they arrived, Cas brought Dean inside and, with his Dad’s approval and credit card, helped Dean to find and order the catapult online.

“It’ll even arrive at your house in wrapping paper,” he told Dean. “That’s one less step for you to deal with.” 

Dean smiled and then helped Castiel pick out something to give to Sam, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it had to happen eventually, the boys had to grow up. We're in the home stretch now, friends - 1 more chapter and then an epilogue. Glad to have you along fir the ride; let me know if you're enjoying the story! <3


	5. Under the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean has something very important to share with Cas.
> 
> FYI: Story rating has been increased from G to T due to some cursing that started cropping up now that the boys are teenagers.

Dean was nervous but he was ready. He’d been ready for a few weeks but hadn’t done anything because he wanted this moment to be perfect for Cas; it was what the other boy deserved. 

Dean had been hearing Castiel’s fantasies about his soul words since he was seven and had caught a glimpse of the words on the other boy’s wrist. He knew Cas had been made fun of for the words and Dean had longed to be able to tell those people off. Soon, he reminded himself. 

Despite all of the negativity he received, Cas was still a romantic at heart. Dean had known Cas was his soulmate since that first day on the playground 10 years prior. At first, he had been afraid. The only thing he knew about soulmates at that point was that they were supposed to be together forever but his mom and dad had been soulmates and his dad didn’t have her anymore. But as he grew up and learned more, Dean realized how lucky he was to have found his soulmate so early, even if Castiel was unaware of their match.

Dean had made Castiel wait 10 years. Tonight had to be perfect for the hopeless romantic that was his best friend and soulmate.

When he pulled up in front of Castiel’s house in his dad’s ‘67 Impala, he took a deep breath and went to the door. He would usually text Cas to let him know he had arrived but tonight was going to be special, goddammit.

Gabriel answered the door. “You’re here to pick up Cassie for your daaaaate?” he teased.

Dean glared at Castiel’s brother as he heard his soulmate’s feet pounding down the stairs. As soon as he saw Cas, he broke into a grin.

“Gabe, leave Dean alone,” he growled at his brother before turning to Dean. “You ready?”

Dean nodded and led the way to the car, opening the door for Cas.

“Not a date my ass,” Gabriel called from the still open doorway.

“Sorry about him, he’s been grumpy lately,” Castiel explained as Dean climbed into the driver’s seat and started the car. Dean knew that Gabe was feeling down because Luc and Michael had both found their soulmates during college and Gabriel had graduated a year prior and still didn’t know his person. He hoped that, should everything go according to plan tonight, Gabe would be happy for his younger brother and not even more bitter. At least not right away.

Dean shot Cas an understanding smile as he put the car in drive and headed toward their first destination.

They pulled up to their favorite restaurant and got out of the car, leaving the keys with the valet. 

“Take good care of her,” Cas told the valet driver.

Dean reveled in how well Castiel knew him, even though they had never shared what most people would consider a real conversation. Over the years, Cas had learned what Dean liked and didn’t like and he would often speak on his behalf when courtesy would dictate Dean needed to share in public and he would even order for his friend when they ate out. Tonight was no different and Dean’s favorite burger was soon sitting on the table in front of him.

Castiel stuck to telling stories and asking yes or no questions while they ate. It was one of the things Dean loved about the other boy, he knew exactly the best way to communicate with Dean at any given time. Soon enough, they would be able to communicate like everyone else. Maybe not in overly public places like this restaurant right away, but Dean was certain that with Cas by his side, he’d get there eventually.

After they finished dinner, Castiel asked Dean if he wanted dessert. Usually Dean would go for a slice of pie but tonight he indicated to Cas that he was full. Cas looked concerned, Dean never passed on pie, but he didn’t question his friend.

When the valet came back with the car, Dean gave her a once over and, deciding she was in the same condition in which he had left her, he got behind the wheel to drove to their next destination. They pulled into the elementary school parking lot and Cas looked at Dean inquisitively.

“What are we doing here?” he asked.

Dean held up a finger, indicating that Cas should wait a moment, that all would be revealed in time.

Dean walked around the car and grabbed Castiel’s hand and led him over to where a tall figure was waiting. 

“Hello, Sam,” Castiel called out. Sam was only 13 years old but he was just as tall as Castiel was and almost taller than Dean already. Cas had a feeling the boy would grow to be well over 6 feet.

“Hey Cas,” Sam replied. He looked at Dean and continued speaking, “Everything is set. I’ll head home and get out of your hair.” Sam pulled Dean into a hug and whispered into his ear so Castiel couldn’t hear, “Good luck, jerk.”

“Thanks, bitch,” Dean responded quietly before letting Sam out of the hug.

Once Sam turned his back and started towards their house, Dean reached back and grabbed Castiel’s hand again, leading him over to a blanket where Sam had set up the pie and sparkling cider that Dean had bought earlier that day. It was the spot where Cas and Dean had first searched for bugs together all the way back in first grade.

Dean sat and indicated that Cas should do the same. Castiel leaned back on the blanket next to him and asked, “What’s going on?”

Dean handed Cas a glass of the cider and a piece of pie and looked toward the sky. He pointed up at the stars just as the meteor shower started. The pair ate and drank in silence as they watched the sky. After a while, Cas finally spoke.

“Dean, this is amazing.” Dean could hear the awe in his soulmate’s voice. “I told you about this meteor shower a month ago. You remembered.”

Dean looked over to Cas who still had his eyes turned to the sky. The words almost bubbled out of him right then but Dean held back. Just a little longer, he thought. 

Cas finally turned his face to Dean, “This is beautiful, thank you.” 

Dean licked his lips and leaned in toward Castiel. He gently pressed their mouths together.

Cas gasped and Dean took that opportunity to deepen the kiss. It was his first kiss, Castiel’s too, but he didn’t think it could get any better. When they parted, they both had to catch their breath.

“Dean?” Cas whispered.

“I love you.”

Cas pulled back, his eyes wide. “Dean, you… you’re…”

“Yeah,” he let out a breath and waited. 

Cas was speechless but he grabbed Dean’s hand and gave it three quick squeezes, 

Dean smiled nervously at Cas. “I’ve wanted to tell you that for... I’ve been ready for a few weeks, since Sammy’s birthday, really. But I knew it needed to be perfect.”

“Wha- what needed to be perfect?” Castiel asked.

“Do you remember the first thing you said to me? Right here on this spot, back in first grade?” Dean countered, looking almost bashful.

Cas chuckled a little at the memory, “Yes, I… I wanted to distract you, wanted to get your mind off the jerks that had been making fun of you so I quoted one of my dad’s books.”

“‘I’m the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition.’ It wasn’t the first time I had heard that line, you know.” Dean pulled his t-shirt up over his head and turned so his back was facing Cas. “It was definitely a distraction.” 

Castiel gasped at what he saw. There, between Dean’s shoulder blades, were the first words Cas had ever said directly to Dean. He reached out and ran his fingers over the writing. “You’ve known. You’ve known about us for 10 years. Why didn’t you ever tell me?” He asked.

Dean was grateful that Cas didn’t sound hurt or confused or anything like that, merely curious. “I honestly didn’t know how.” Dean was looking at the sky again, too nervous to look Castiel in the face. “And then about a month ago, just after that fiasco in the mall, when you were telling me about this meteor shower, I realized that I wanted to tell you how much I loved you. To say the words, out loud. That I love what a geek you are and how excited you get over things like this. That I love how you’ve always looked out for me and that you were my first real friend. I wanted to actually talk to you like I do with Sammy or my Dad or Uncle Bobby. I was afraid but it seemed possible.”

Dean sighed, “But I also remembered all of the stories you would tell me while we were growing up, about how you imagined your soulmate would say those words to you. I knew I couldn’t just blurt them out right there.”

“You could have and it would have been just as perfect as any of the stories,” Cas interrupted. 

Dean finally looked at his best friend again. “I know, it would have been our kind of perfect. But you had spent so long dreaming about it that I figured, what’s another month? So I waited and I planned and thank God the weather panned out tonight so we could see the stars.”

“Dean Winchester, you are the most wonderful human being I have ever met,” Castiel declared. “And I love you, too, you know.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Dean said as he spread his arms to welcome Cas into his embrace. They lay down on the blanket together, watching the meteors in the sky and stealing the occasional kiss.

\----

Castiel woke the next morning convinced that the previous night had been a dream. But as he came to consciousness, he noticed that the mattress was too hard and bumpy and his pillow was breathing. Cas jolted a bit as he realized he and Dean had fallen asleep on the playground during the meteor shower and spent the night on a blanket under the stars.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Dean quipped, his voice still gravelly with sleep. “We should probably get out of here before they turn on the sprinklers or something.”

“Wha’ time izzit?” Cas slurred.

“It’s about 5:30 AM. You need to sneak back into your house or anything?”

“Nah, Gabe’ll’ve covered for me,” Cas replied as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. “And, b’sides, when I tell them all about the soulmate thing, even Dad’ll forget I was out all night.” Castiel went still for a moment, “It wasn’t a dream, right? I mean, you’re still talking to me so it can’t have all been a dream. But the soulmate thing… I get to keep you?” Cas asked, suddenly feeling self conscious.

“Yeah, Angel, you’re stuck with me forever,” Dean laughed.

“Angel?” Cas was laughing now, too, but he had to ask.

“Oh, um, yeah,” Dean stuttered, clearly a bit nervous. “I kind of started thinking of you as my guardian angel when you would tell kids off for making fun of me and when you would stand up for Sam when I couldn’t. I hope that doesn’t weird you out. I don’t have to call you that if you don’t wan-”

Cas silenced Dean by pressing a kiss to his mouth. “I like it.”

Dean beamed at Castiel and couldn’t have wiped the goofy grin off of his face for the rest of the day, even if he had wanted to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is perhaps the fluffiest thing I've ever written and I love it. I hope you do, too! Let me know!! All that's left is the epilogue and I'm thinking that'll be posted on Sunday or Monday.<3


	6. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The epilogue, set 10 years after Cas learns that Dean is his soulmate.

10 years later:

\----

Dean paced the room where he was waiting with Sam, pulling at his collar.

“Stop that, Dean,” Sam chided as he swatted his brother’s hands away from his neck. “Stop. You are gonna be great. Today is going to be great,” he assured Dean. “No matter what happens out there, it’s you and Cas for the rest of your lives. Hell, everyone already signed the marriage license so you two could technically just march out of here if that’s what you really wanted.”

“Don’t tempt me, Sammy,” Dean responded with a laugh.

“Chuck and Bobby would kill you both.” Sam shot a pointed look at his brother.

“Yeah, but Cas would still go with me if I asked,” Dean smiled.

“Yeah, he would,” Sam agreed with a wry smile as someone knocked on the door.

Sam opened the door while Dean fiddled with his tie in the mirror, again. 

“You two idjits ready?” Bobby asked from the doorway.

Dean turned toward the man who had basically helped raise him despite the distance after the Winchesters had moved. “Ready as I’ll ever be. How do I look?”

Bobby walked into the room and pulled Dean into a hug, “If your daddy could see you now… I know he’d be so proud of you,” he told Dean. “Proud of both his boys,” Bobby added, looking toward Sam as he released Dean. “Now, let’s go get you hitched, Dean.”

\----

The ceremony was simple and elegant and suited the two men perfectly. Castiel and Dean exchanged rings surrounded by their family and friends and they could practically feel the love radiating off of the congregation. Gabriel, who was standing as Castiel’s best man, purposely handed his brother a candy ring instead of the wedding band and Cas didn’t notice until Dean and Sam, who was standing up for his brother, were nearly shaking with silent laughter. He turned back to Gabriel and sarcastically glared at his brother until he handed over the correct ring and popped the candy into his mouth, giving everyone gathered a good laugh.

The most memorable moment, though, was when the men shared their vows. With Castiel’s help, Dean had been talking in pretty much all situations since college. Starting to speak with people hadn’t been easy, especially at first. Once Dean had broken the dam with Cas, speaking with him was, surprisingly, as easy as breathing and he had talked with the man as if he were making up for lost time. With everyone else, however, it was a longer and much more difficult process. He had gotten there, eventually, but he still avoided speaking in front of crowds as much as possible, even one as supportive as this.

Cas went first, sharing his affection for and devotion to Dean with eloquence and a touch of his dry humor that Dean loved so much. When he finished, Dean had to turn to Sam for a tissue and, once he dried his eyes, he cleared his throat. Just before Dean began, Castiel grabbed his hands and gave it a long squeeze.

“Cas, you know public speaking isn’t really my thing. But you are my thing. I have loved you since before I knew what love was. From our very first meeting on the playground in first grade, you have fascinated and enraptured me. You have been my friend, my partner, my strength, and my voice. Anytime that I needed, you have known the words to say to express my thoughts." Dean's voice cracked, heavy with emotion, and he paused, taking a moment to collect himself before continuing. "When nearly everyone else was writing me off as a lost cause, you took the time to learn who I was, what I liked and disliked, what I thought and felt. You learned me and you loved me.” Dean took a deep breath. “And you taught me. You taught me that I had value. You taught me that nothing could hold me back. You taught me what love is and what it means to love someone so much and so fiercely that nothing could stand between you.” Dean stopped again for just a moment to regain his composure and give Castiel’s hand a squeeze. “Castiel, I love you and I promise to keep loving you and learning you as we both grow throughout our years and life together.”

When Dean finished speaking, there wasn’t a dry eye in the building. Through his own tears, he even noticed Bobby reaching for a tissue. There was nothing that he wanted to do more than kiss Cas right now but Dean knew he had to wait and, from the look on Castiel’s face, he figured that his husband was having the same thoughts.

After a prayer and a blessing, the officiant finally pronounced them to be married and the pair practically lunged toward one another before she even finished telling them that it was time for the kiss. The people gathered laughed indulgently at their eagerness and then rose and applauded the couple as Cas and Dean walked down the aisle hand in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! It's been fun to share this with you all and I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have an inkling of an idea about Sam's story and a few thoughts about Gabriel's, too. If that's something that people seem to be interested in let me know and I might be compelled to flesh out those ideas and turn this into a series.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading; chapter 2 should be up later this week! Comments and kudos are always appreciated! <3


End file.
